City traffic plan in place for Masters

Patrons arriving at Augusta National Golf Club by automobile for Masters Tournament events can expect the same morning ramp closures and evening one-way routes as last year.

To contend with heavy morning traffic arriving for the tournament, transportation officials will again close the northbound Exit 199 ramp from Interstate 20 onto Washington Road at 7 a.m. daily for several hours, city Traffic Engineer John Ussery said.

Golf traffic heading northeast on I-20 can instead exit at Exit 195 onto Wheeler Road to Berckmans Road, or Exit 200 onto Riverwatch Parkway, where traffic will be routed to Alexander Drive to the golf club, Ussery said.

An alternate route will be to take Riverwatch further east onto Calhoun Expressway and westbound Washington Road to the club.

In the afternoons, both lanes of Berckmans Road will again be converted to a one-way southbound route to drain the surrounding club parking area of vehicles more quickly, he said.

Visitors are advised to not use their GPS devices for directions but instead follow the signs and directions given by officials on the ground, said Ron Lampkin, city traffic operations manager.

Lampkin and Ussery said traffic engineering is ready for the challenge of this year’s tournament and the inevitable surprises it brings, such as last year’s thunderstorms that toppled trees and downed lines Monday and Wednesday of Masters Week.

Last year’s tournament was a first for Ussery, who’d recently joined city government, and he relied heavily on the expertise of former city traffic engineer Steve Cassell.

“I think we’re ready. It’s not just a one-person show. There are a lot of different agencies; a lot of different moving pieces that all have to come together,” Ussery said. “I’ve gotten to know all of those folks over the last year so I’m more comfortable with whose responsibilities are what and what role we all play, and I think we’re ready to go.”

The other usual rules apply, including a state ban on ticket scalping within 2,700 feet of the event. The boundary loops from Taco Bell on Washington Road to the Alexander Drive fire station to Lake Olmstead to Surrey Center.